Playing with Fire

by Gena Showalter

What I Read...

Playing with Fire is classic Showalter, who always manages to deliver an enjoyable read with plucky heroines, sexy heros and a lot of laughs. Belle Jamison drives the paranormal plot of this light urban fantasy. She's a mess - can't hold a job, hates the one she's barely holding on to, and after a bizarre encounter during a break at the coffee shop she works at, she's suddenly commanding the four elements - fire, water, earth, and air. Her life will never be the same again.

Enter the wickedly sexy Rome Masters, a man with his own secrets and definitely his own agenda. He offers to help Belle in exchange for her help with a problem of his - keeping his daughter off the radar of the same groups out to get Belle.

What I Thought...

The plot is interesting and Playing with Fire would be a great book to start a series, because Belle is definitely an appealing heroine with a heck of a heart, and the secondary characters and agency that Rome works for hold a lot of potential for future development. I know that there's a sequel, Twice as Hot, and I can't wait to read it. I hope Showalter keeps going with this one. There were some issues I had with Playing with Fire - I thought the development of the romance was a little odd and forced at the beginning, but it evened out about halfway through. I thought that Belle's reaction to some of the darker results of her power were oddly lacking in emotional repercussions. Still, Playing with Fire is a fun romp and I enjoyed it.

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Reviewed Books by Gena Showalter